<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51fbca75eab8ea2e34000003-343-257/apples-san-francisco-flagship-store-8.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Apple's San Francisco flagship store" width="480" /><p class="source"><keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword></p></div></div>Apple still hasn't found anyone to run its <keyword id="6354851" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Retail">retail</keyword> operations despite the fact that it's been nearly 10 months since <keyword id="919692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="John-Browett">John Browett</keyword> was given the boot.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324170004578638450204855848.html" target="_blank">Ian Sherr and Joann Lubin at the Wall Street Journal</a>, the company's famous stores have struggled from the lack of leadership.</p>
<p>While things are returning to normalcy, Apple's stores aren't bringing in as much revenue as they have in the past. <a href="http://images.apple.com/pr/pdf/q3fy13datasum.pdf" target="_blank">According to Apple's latest earnings data</a>, retail revenue at the company had a 22% drop, to $4 billion, from the prior quarter. Retail revenues always drop after Christmas, of course. But sales were still flat from the year prior — despite overall revenue increasing companywide.</p>
<p>Apple stores are stagnating, in other words.</p>
<p>Here's how bad things got under Browett, according to the Journal:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Budgets for paper, pens and other basic supplies are roughly back to their earlier levels after dropping about 30% in some stores, these people said. Other items, such as replacement T-shirt uniforms adorned with the Apple logo, still aren't handed out to store employees as quickly as they used to be, one person said.</p>
<p>That's pathetic. Apple is one of the most cash-rich companies on the planet, with $11 billion in cash on its balance sheet. Yet somehow, it was nickel-and-diming the stationery closets!</p>
<p>To recap the situation, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-browett-starts-as-apples-svp-retail-2012-5" target="_blank">Browett was brought in to run Apple's stores</a> after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-ron-johnson-jc-penny-2011-6" target="_blank">Ron Johnson departed to become CEO of JC Penney.</a></p>
<p>Neither move worked out too well for anyone - both <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-john-browett-got-canned-2013-3" target="_blank">Browett</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ron-johnson-out-at-jcpenney-2013-4" target="_blank">Johnson</a> were canned from their respective positions.</p>
<p>Browett's time running Apple drew criticism for changing the retail division's focus from customer service to sales, which in hindsight seems unsurprising given his prior role running Dixon, a decidedly untrendy discount electronics retailer in the U.K.</p>
<p>What we didn't know was the extent of his cost-cutting measures. While we knew <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-john-browett-got-canned-2013-3" target="_blank">he had cut hours in an attempt to boost profits</a>, the Wall Street Journal story mentions that managers were told to cut costs on things like employee events, training, and meetings.</p>
<p>Hiring specialized workers, like the tech-savvy "Geniuses," was slowed or halted at many stores despite the company focusing on said employees <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXTzzxiCfPw" target="_blank">in an ad campaign that was prominently run during last year's Olympics.</a></p>
<p>A positive way of looking at those numbers is that revenue was flat even though Apple didn't launch a new iPad model like they did in the same time frame last year. That makes Apple's fall numbers all the more crucial, when Apple launches a new iPhone along with the rumored <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cheap-iphone-production-2013-7" target="_blank">cheaper iPhone</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ipad-mini-retina-display-from-samsung-2013-8" target="_blank">Retina iPad Mini. </a></p>

Things Got So Bad At Apple's Stores That It Cut The Budget For Pens And Paper By 30%

<p><table class="image-container float_right" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/51433c87eab8ea406f000017-399-299/john-browett.jpg" border="0" alt="John Browett" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.dixonsretail.com/dixons/en/mediacentre/imagelibrary?cat=6">Dixons Retail</a></p></td></tr></table>When <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword>'s former <keyword id="6354851" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Retail">retail</keyword> boss <keyword id="919692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="John-Browett">John Browett</keyword> left Apple last year, it was a huge surprise.</p>
<p>That's because <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-retail-boss-browett-out-2012-10">he left the company after only about nine months on the job</a>. While <a href="https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/10/29Apple-Announces-Changes-to-Increase-Collaboration-Across-Hardware-Software-Services.html">Apple did not say why</a> Browett was leaving the company, sources briefed on the matter <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/apples-mobile-software-and-retail-chiefs-to-depart/">told Nick Wingfield and Nick Bilton of The New York Times</a> that Browett was fired.</p>
<p>When Browett departed the company, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-retail-boss-browett-out-2012-10">we speculated</a> that it might have had something to do with his decision to cut retail employee hours after giving everyone a raise to boost Apple's profits. </p>
<p>But at the Retail Week Live conference this week, Browett reflected on why he was rejected from the company, <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/15/john-browett-reflects-on-lessons-from-brief-stint-as-apple-retail-chief/">Ben Lovejoy of MacRumors reports</a>.</p>
<p>"The issue there was I just didn't fit within the way they ran the business," <a href="http://www.retail-week.com/events/conferences/retail-week-live-2013/video-apple-was-a-learning-curve-says-john-browett/5047319.article">Browett said in an interview at the Retail Week Live conference this week</a>. "And so for me, it was one of those shocking things where you are rejected from the organization for fit rather than competency."</p>
<p>While that may sound a bit self-serving, another top Apple executive, Scott Forstall, left the company last year with CEO Tim Cook citing a need for more "collaboration" between the company's software, hardware, and services groups.</p>
<p>Browett says he learned a lot from his time at Apple: It helped him get a better sense of who he is, how he works, and what he likes to work with. </p>
<p>"It's probably actually the best thing that's ever happened to me," Browett says.</p>
<p>Before joining Apple, Browett was the chief executive of Dixons, an electronics retailer in the U.K. He returned there to run another retail chain, Monsoon Accessorize.</p>

Fired Apple Retail Boss: Here's Why I Got Canned

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/505c52c969bedd354b00000e-620-465/verkaufsstart%20iphone%205-2.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="germany apple store employees iphone 5 line" width="400" height="300" /></div><p class="source">AP</p></div><keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword> has been pretty hush hush about its search for a new SVP of <keyword id="6354851" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Retail">retail</keyword> following the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-retail-boss-browett-out-2012-10">unexpected departure of retail boss John Browett</a>.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130107/apple-cant-afford-buyers-remorse-with-next-retail-hire/">John Paczkowski of AllThingsD reports</a>, Apple can't afford to make another hiring mistake. So for the last several weeks, Paczkowski has been poking around to find ideal candidates. </p>
<p>He found three from inside Apple who would be a good fit for the position:</p>
<ul>
<li>Steve Cano, Apple's manager of retail stores</li>
<li>Bob Bridger, Apple VP for Retail Real Estate and Development</li>
<li>Jeremy McDougal, Apple VP of Retail</li>
</ul>
<p>His sources are divided over who would be best suited to lead Apple's retail operations. One says McDougal would be best, considering that he already has the VP of Retail title. But another says Cano would be best because he's the most well-rounded out of the three and understands Apple's retail store culture.</p>
<p>Paczkowski also named five candidates from outside of Apple that Apple would be lucky to hire away, given their experience working for global consumer brands:</p>
<ul>
<li>Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry</li>
<li>Victor Luis, President, International Group at Coach</li>
<li>Jeanne Jackson, President, Director to Consumer at Nike</li>
<li>John Culver, President, Starbucks Coffee China and Asia Pacific</li>
<li>Paul Gainer, Executive Vice President, Global Disney Store</li>
</ul>
<p>However, it would be a hard sell to get these people to leave those powerful positions and join Apple because, as one of Paczkowski's source said "Apple is not a true retailer."</p>
<p>For now, the retail team reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Cook is expected to take his time to find a replacement. </p>

Apple Should Hire One These Eight People To Lead Its Retail Operations

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/51499461eab8ea5b01000007-620-465/john-gruber-1.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="john gruber" width="400" height="300" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/webstock06/5454500304/">Flickr/Webstock</a></p><p class="caption">John Gruber</p></div>Last night news broke that <keyword id="99699" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Adobe">Adobe</keyword>'s CTO Kevin Lynch was joining <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword> a VP of technology.</p>
<p>The reaction to the news in the Apple blogging world was swift, and quite negative.</p>
<p>John Gruber, the influential author of Daring Fireball was <a href="http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/03/19/lynch-bozo">unusually blunt in his assessment of Lynch</a>. He titled his post: "Exhibit A in the Case That Newly-Hired Apple VP of Technology Kevin Lynch Is a Bozo, a Bad Hire" and he linked to a Lynch blog post on <keyword id="145864" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Adobe-Flash">Adobe Flash</keyword>.</p>
<p>When the iPad was launched in 2010, Apple did not support Flash, Adobe's video playing technology. Steve Jobs <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-six-big-reasons-apple-wont-put-flash-on-iphone-or-ipad-2010-4">had his own "Thoughts on Flash"</a> where he explained why he thought it was bad technology and HTML5 was better.</p>
<p>Jobs was right. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/adobe-to-kill-mobile-flash-starting-august-15-2012-6">HTML5 won</a>. It was better than Flash which was a buggy power hogging technology.</p>
<p>Still, Lynch worked for Adobe at the time and so he defended Flash, <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2010/02/open_access_to_content_and_app.html">writing</a>, "We are now on the verge of delivering Flash Player 10.1 for smartphones with all but one of the top manufacturers. This includes Google’s Android, RIM’s Blackberry, Nokia, Palm Pre and many others across form factors including not only smartphones but also tablets, netbooks, and internet-connected TVs."</p>
<p>Google has since dropped Flash from Android, and the rest of those companies are out of business, or irrelevant, notes Gruber.</p>
<p>Gruber closes his post on Lynch by saying, "I have a bad feeling about this."</p>
<p>Gruber is typically pretty careful in how he chooses his words to describe people, especially Apple executives. The fact that he's this negative on Lynch is pretty eye opening.</p>
<p>It's also worth keeping in mind that Apple has had a few bad outside hires lately: Mark Papermaster was brought in from IBM to do iPhone engineering and was quickly booted. John Browett was brought in for retail and quickly booted. Will Lynch be another mistake?</p>
<p>For what it's worth, Wired author Steve Levy disagrees with Gruber, <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenLevy/status/314217526005469184">tweeting</a>, Lynch was a "loyal Adobe-ite, he railed against Apple power plays. Relax, fans, the guy is a star."</p>

Apple's Newest Executive Is A 'Bozo' And A 'Bad Hire,' Says John Gruber

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5af2f454a3f05519008b469a-2000/57b7a48ddb5ce94b088b7ede.jpg" border="0" alt="angela ahrendts" data-mce-source="AP Photo / Eric Risberg" /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo / Eric Risberg</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Apple's head of <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword>, Angela Ahrendts, will be added to Ralph Lauren's board of directors in August. </strong></li><li><strong>Ahrendts heads up Apple's retail presence, but before joining Apple, she served as Burberry CEO and held executive-level positions at Donna Karan and Liz Claiborne. </strong></li><li><strong><span>Ralph Lauren, who serves as executive chairman and chief creative officer of his brand, said in a statement: </span></strong><strong><span>"Angela is an industry leader and innovator with deep expertise in luxury retail and an outstanding track record of growing global brands." </span></strong></li></ul><hr /><p>Fashion house Ralph Lauren plans to add Angela Ahrendts to its board of directors, the company <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180509005137/en/Ralph-Lauren-Add-Angela-Ahrendts-Michael-George" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced Wednesday</a>. </p><p>Ahrendts, who serves as Apple's head of retail, will be nominated for the position at Ralph Lauren's annual stockholders meeting, which will take place in August. </p><p><span>"I am delighted to welcome Angela and [Qurate Retail CEO Mike George] to the Board of Directors," Ralph Lauren, who serves as executive chairman and chief creative officer of his eponymous brand, said in a statement announcing the news. "Angela is an industry leader and innovator with deep expertise in luxury retail and an outstanding track record of growing global brands."</span></p><p><span>Ahrendts joined Apple as senior vice president of retail in May 2014. Ahrendts was initially tasked with brainstorming how to sell the Apple Watch, a brand-new product category for the company. But she also had to win over Apple's retail employees after the company's former retail boss <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-we-are-not-cutting-back-on-our-retail-employees-2012-8">John Browett reduced hours and cut back on new hires.</a></span></p><p><span>Still, Ahrendts' background is rooted in high-end fashion. </span><span>Prior to Apple, Ahrendts was CEO of British fashion house Burberry for eight years. She also previously served as executive vice president at Liz Claiborne and president of Donna Karan.  </span></p><p class="tagline"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/next-frontier-in-customer-relations?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_content=mobile_ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_campaign=mobile_ctgr_leadgen_messaging-apps-crm"><img src="https://media-bii-originals.businessinsider.com/5ac4d56b7a74af2a008b45f9" alt="Exclusive FREE Report: The Next Frontier in Customer Relations by Business Insider Intelligence" border="0" style="width: 100% !important" /></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-rocket-space-most-important-work-im-doing-2018-4">Jeff Bezos: Blue Origin is 'the most important work that I'm doing'</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/67Axyvvo-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Apple's retail boss will be joining Ralph Lauren's board of directors

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:398px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/51633105eab8eafa65000000-620-465/ron-johnson-6.jpg?maxX=398&amp;maxY=298" border="0" alt="Ron Johnson" width="398" height="298" /></div><p class="source">Getty Images</p></div><keyword id="279737" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ron-Johnson">Ron Johnson</keyword> is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ron-johnson-out-at-jcpenney-2013-4">out as JC Penney CEO</a>, according to CNBC.</p>
<p>Now everyone is making the same joke: Cool! He can go back to Apple.</p>
<p>Johnson got the Penney job because Apple's retail stores were phenomenal successes. </p>
<p>Since he left, Apple has struggled to replace him.</p>
<p>It hired John Browett from British retailer Dixons. That was a mess. Browett was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-retail-executive-john-browett-pay-2012-10">booted after six months</a>.</p>
<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook has been looking for a replacement since November for Browett.</p>
<p>Now he has an ideal candidate!</p>
<p>We doubt Johnson wants to go back with his tail between his legs, but you never know, there aren't many jobs better than running Apple's retail operations.</p>

So... Will Apple Hire Ron Johnson Back To Run Retail?

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:397px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/50db1cebeab8ea8146000054-567/olloclip-apple-store-hong-kong.png?maxX=397&amp;maxY=297" border="0" alt="olloclip apple store hong kong" width="397" height="297" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://instagram.com/p/R36aviRDUC/">Olloclip's Instagram </a></p></div><keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword>'s VP of Retail, Jerry McDougal is leaving the company to spend more time with his family, <a href="http://www.ifoapplestore.com/2013/01/15/a-second-key-retail-executive-has-departed-apple/">ifoAppleStore reports</a>.</p>
<p>McDougal worked under Ron Johnson who built Apple's retailing empire (with much help from Steve Jobs). Johnson left to run JC Penney at the end of 2011. Since then Apple has struggled to fill his vacancy.</p>
<p>It initially hired John Browett to run its stores. That hire turned out to be a dud and Browett is gone.</p>
<p>Apple has been looking for months for someone to fill that position. If we had to guess, we'd say McDougal was probably passed over for the top job for a second time and decided he was ready to move on from working at Apple and not being given an opportunity to move up.</p>
<p>Apple confirmed McDougal's departure to various news outlets. Jim Bean, who was a VP of Finance is moving to take over the spot left by McDougal.</p>

Apple Loses Another Key Retail Exec

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5215e6bfeab8ea9977000074-1065-799/apple-store-palo-alto.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="apple store palo alto" width="480" /><p class="source"><keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword></p></div></div>Apple has poached away a senior executive from clothing company Levi Strauss to serve as director of sales in the U.S., Mark Gurman <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/08/21/apple-poaches-levis-senior-vp-for-u-s-retail-as-search-for-chief-continues/">9to5Mac first reported</a>.</p>
<p>The exec's name is Enrique Atienza and he'll be in charge of retail operations on the west coast. However, Apple still doesn't have a senior vice president in charge of all retail. That position has been left open since Apple let go John Browett last fall after less than a year on the job.</p>
<p>Gurman reports that Apple is still on the hunt for a new retail boss, and is looking to hire someone from outside the U.S.</p>

Apple Poaches Exec From Levi's For A New High-Level Retail Job 

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52f1605feab8ea4223c2ff0b-1200-924/apple-tim-cook-2013-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Apple-Tim-Cook-2013" /><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Former Wall Street Journal reporter Yukari Iwatani Kane has a book coming in March on Apple called "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Empire-Apple-After-Steve/dp/0062128256">Haunted Empire, Apple After Steve Jobs</a>".</p>
<p>Kane was a great Apple reporter at the Journal, and the post-Steve Jobs era should be great subject material for a book. We've been excited to see what she would turn up.</p>
<p>It looks like her book will not be kind to Tim Cook's Apple. In <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2014/02/why-is-apple-being-so-nostalgic.html?utm_content=buffer58a62&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">a post for the New Yorker</a>, she has a brutal take down of Apple in the post-Jobs era. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This isn't anything we haven't heard before, but coming from someone that spent years working on a book about Apple, it carries a little more weight:</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Apple's supporters point to the company's billions of dollars in quarterly profit and its tens of billions in revenue as proof that it continues to thrive. But Apple's employees again know differently, despite the executive team's best efforts to preserve Jobs's legacy. People who shouldn't be hired are being hired (like Apple's former retail chief, John Browett, who tried to incorporate big-box-retailer sensibilities into Apple's refined store experience). People who shouldn't leave are leaving, or, in the case of the mobile-software executive Scott Forstall, being fired.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Mistakes, in turn, are being made: Apple Maps was a fiasco, and ads, like the company's short-lived Genius ads and last summer's self-absorbed manifesto ad, have been mediocre. Apple's latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 7, looks pretty but is full of bugs and flaws. As for innovation, the last time Apple created something that was truly great was the original iPad, when Jobs was still alive.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2014/02/why-is-apple-being-so-nostalgic.html">Read more at the New Yorker &gt;</a></p>

Author Of Forthcoming Book Has A Brutal Take Down Of Apple Under Tim Cook

<p><keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword> appears to have hit a grand slam with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-hires-burberry-ceo-angela-ahrendts-2013-10">its latest executive hire, Angela Ahrendts</a>. </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><strong>1. She's filling the long vacant role of running Apple's retail operations.</strong> Apple retail is still a major competitive advantage, and a fresh set of eyes on the stores should keep it that way. </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>2. She was a very successful as <keyword id="117076" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Burberry">Burberry</keyword>'s CEO.</strong> The stock rose as she cut costs and reshaped the product line. The previous person Apple hired to this job, John Browett, did not have a great reputation coming in. Ahrendts, is the exact opposite, which is why <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-hires-burberry-ceo-angela-ahrendts-2013-10">Burberry's stock is tanking today</a>.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>3. She will likely be able to help Apple with the iWatch</strong>. This is the second high-fashion executive Apple has hired this year. Previously <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-hires-paul-deneve-2013-7">it poached </a><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-hires-paul-deneve-2013-7">Paul Deneve, the CEO of Paris-based fashion house Yves Saint Laurent</a>. Deneve, it is assumed, is helping with the design of the iWatch and other wearable technology. Ahrendts should be able to help with fashion/design for the iWatch and other wearable technology. Making wearable computers look good will be a totally different challenge for Apple, so having people with fashion experience is helpful.</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><strong>4. She's a woman.</strong> Apple's has a female board member in Andrea Jung of Avon. Katie Cotton leads communications. It also has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-highest-ranking-women-at-apple-2012-6">a handful of women in its higher ranks</a>, but this is the first woman to be on the executive leadership team as far as we can remember. Technology seems to be a fairly progressive industry, but it doesn't have a lot of females in power. It's good to see Apple mixing up its ranks and adding a woman. </span></p>
<p><span><span>Obviously, she has to go out and execute on all of the above, but coming into the job she looks like a great hire. </span></span></p>
<p><em>To emphasize the point about Apple hiring a woman executive, this is what its executive team currently looks like:</em></p>
<p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/525d4e0decad048c67890ba5-740-728/screen%20shot%202013-10-15%20at%2010.13.07%20am.png?maxX=800" border="0" alt="Apple executives" width="800" /><p class="source">Screenshot</p></div><p></p></div><br /></span></span></p>

The Other Great Thing About Apple's New Hire: It Finally Has A Woman As One Of Its Top Executives

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53960a596bb3f76b4995213b-2039-3000/91026797.jpg" alt="Angela Ahrendts, apple, sv100 2015" data-mce-source="Ian Gavan/Getty" /><p class="source"><span>Ian Gavan/Getty</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Angela Ahrendts, one of Apple's newest executives, finished her first full year working at the company in April.</p><p>As Apple's senior vice president of retail and online sales, t<span>he former Burberry CEO</span> is in a position that some may call intimidating.</p><p>Not only was Ahrendts in charge of brainstorming how to sell the Apple Watch, a brand new product category for the company, but she also had to win over Apple's retail employees after the company's former retail boss <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-we-are-not-cutting-back-on-our-retail-employees-2012-8">John Browett reduced hours and cut back on new hires.</a></p><p>We spoke to multiple people in and close to the company about Ahrendt.</p><p>Here's what we learned:</p><p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">Employees really like her weekly videos.</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Multiple sources told us that employees seem to be happy with her tenure at the company thus far. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">They particularly like that she keeps retail employees informed and encouraged by sending out video messages to all retail staffers every week. These videos are stored inside an app that you can only access within the store when you're connected to Apple's servers, and Ahrendts films them from wherever she is in the world. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Employees say the videos feel unscripted and natural. One insider said Ahrendts is personal like Ron Johnson, who helped build the Apple Store and previously led retail efforts, but even more so. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"She's good in our eyes," another retail employee said.</span></p><p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">There's been a big push to bring more of the retail experience online</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Angela has been trying to put a lot of focus on online integrations into the store as well," a person familiar with Apple's retail plans said. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This focus started with the Apple Watch launch, but it's still being emphasized in Apple stores. To make the online experience better, Apple is considering extending the virtual personal setup option from the Apple Watch to other products.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">During staff meetings, Apple retail teams at one store have been discussing ideas to make it so that you can order a product online from the store, then set it up from the comfort of your own home, one employee told us.  </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It's<span> part of an initiative Apple is calling "Customer at the Center," this person said. </span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"They want us to remind people that the Apple Store app is available and a great way to shop, but I think the adoption has been fairly slow," a separate source said. </span></p><p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">Future product launches will not be like the Apple Watch.</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Although there's a focus on ordering online and trying products before you buy them, future product launches won't be handled in the way the Apple Watch was.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> With the Apple Watch, Apple showcased the product in stores and made it available to order online before stocking it for sale in brick-and-mortar locations. Apple retail employees were told in a video memo that the Apple Watch launch was the only one that would be addressed in that way, one source said.</span></p><p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">Employees generally feel like the Apple Watch launch was handled well, but there was some confusion.</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> A couple of sources said that it seemed like the Apple Watch launch went smoothly, while two other retail sources said there were a few hiccups. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">One former Apple retail employee, who still speaks with current employees, heard that the staff had expected more people to come in and try on the watch when Apple opened its try-on stations in April. "The people that did come in were disappointed because they couldn't really try it on before they pre-ordered it," this person said. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Another source said that Apple had over-anticipated the number of customers that would come in to try on the watch, and assigned too many workers to man the try-on stations that day.</span></p><p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">She's making it easier for retail employees to get their foot in the door in corporate. </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Apple has a program that allows retail employees to work in the corporate offices in Cupertino when the team needs help with projects. It's sort of like an internship - you work for the same wage you earn as a retail employee, but you get to work on a temporary project on Apple's corporate team. It's more for the experience, and it could lead to a position at Apple if the company feels like you're valuable, one person said. It's helpful for Apple because retail employees work with customers every day and have a better idea of what's important to the customer. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This program has been around for a while, but since Ahrendts took over more retail employees have been participating in it. Previously, Apple's corporate team would only seek out help from retail when they needed assistance on a project, but one employee said it seems like Ahrendts is actively trying to get retail more involved.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-snapchat-cyber-dust-privacy-2015-5">Mark Cuban explains why downloading Snapchat is a huge mistake</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="FuMzJkdTpvQYH_d3c-8LMnnwzGDr7n8x" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'FuMzJkdTpvQYH_d3c-8LMnnwzGDr7n8x',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Apple insiders gave us their report card on retail boss Angela Ahrendts after her first year

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5149b5b6eab8ea7c49000020-574-430/kevin-lynch-apple.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=299" border="0" alt="kevin lynch apple" width="400" height="299" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdlasica/3009386351/">JD Lasica, socialmedia.biz</a></p><p class="caption">Kevin Lynch</p></div>"When technology becomes religion things get nasty."</p>
<p>That quotes comes from technology analyst Michael Gartenberg. It is <a href="https://twitter.com/Gartenberg/status/314278661928931328">his reaction</a> to what is happening to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/adobe-cto-kevin-lynch-heading-to-apple-2013-3">Apple's newest hire, Kevin Lynch</a>. No company attracts a religous following quite like <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword>.</p>
<p>At Apple, Lynch is going to be VP of Technology and work for well-respected executive Bob Mansfield.</p>
<p>Lynch is the target of outrage, confusion, and vitriol from some of the most influential Apple writers on the Internet. And it's all because of Flash.</p>
<p>Lynch was previously the CTO of <keyword id="99699" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Adobe">Adobe</keyword>. As the CTO of Adobe, he was responsible for Flash, the video technology that powered the vast majority of desktop web video. </p>
<p>Apple didn't include Flash for the iPhone because it didn't work well on mobile. Three years after it launched the iPhone, it launched the iPad, which also didn't include Flash.</p>
<p>At the time, it was a controversial decision.</p>
<p>The iPad looked like a web consumption machine, but it would miss out on the majority of web video because it didn't support Flash.</p>
<p>Steve Jobs was pushing for video to be supported for the iPhone and iPad with HTML5 instead of Flash. We're not going to dig into the arance details of HTML5, but basically it's a next generation open standard for supporting web video. Adobe's Flash was a proprietary standard.</p>
<p>Jobs was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-heres-why-we-dont-allow-flash-on-the-iphone-2010-4">not a fan of Flash</a>. He <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-six-big-reasons-apple-wont-put-flash-on-iphone-or-ipad-2010-4">listed five reasons Apple didn't support Flash</a>: It's not an open standard, it's buggy and insecure, it's not designed for touch screens, it drains battery life, he didn't want developers using Flash and then porting their apps to iOS.</p>
<p>Jobs was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-things-changed-for-apple-2013-3">the most powerful, media-savvy, and convincing person the technology world will ever see</a>. He was known for having a "reality distortion field" that made the things he said seem true even if they weren't. That's a backhanded compliment to the guy. He was right more often than he was wrong.</p>
<p>In this case, Jobs was right. Adobe eventually gave up on Flash for mobile devices.</p>
<p>But not before it put up a fight. Kevin Lynch, Adobe's CTO, was the guy who had to lead the fight against Apple.</p>
<p>He tried a variety of techniques. He wrote <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2010/02/open_access_to_content_and_app.html">a blog post</a>, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/05/adobe-cto-kevin-lynch-were-going-to-make-the-best-tools-in-the-world-for-html5/">spoke about it at tech conferences</a>, <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1700949/adobe-cto-macbook-air-html5-flash-battery-problems-false-argument">talked about it in interviews</a>, and even made <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNtTfFDena4">a cringe worthy video where he pretends to blow up an iPhone</a>.</p>
<p>None of it worked, and in retrospect, it all makes him seem foolish. He was defending a technology that was not very good.</p>
<p>As a result, John Gruber, the author of Daring Fireball <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-heres-why-we-dont-allow-flash-on-the-iphone-2010-4">called him a "bozo</a>" and said it was a <a href="http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/03/19/lynch-bozo">"bad hire" by Apple</a>. Gruber knows Apple better than just about any outside observer.</p>
<p>He <a href="http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/03/19/what-i-mean-by-bozo">clarified what he meant by bozo</a>, linking to a post by hedge fund manager Eric Jackson, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2012/01/31/why-every-company-needs-a-no-bozo-policy/">who wrote</a>, "A bozo is someone who thinks they are much smarter and capable than they actually are. They constantly over-estimate their abilities and under-estimate the risks and threats around them. They typically don’t keep an open-mind. They look instead for data that confirms a previously held bias."</p>
<p>Anonymous writer, Kontra of Counternotions, <a href="https://twitter.com/counternotions/statuses/314326019278508032">also piled on, tweeting</a>, "Here's a technical lie from Lynch, 2010: 'The technology issue Apple has with us is not that our tech doesn’t work, it’s that it does work.'"</p>
<p>Venture Capitalist and prominent Apple writer MG Siegler didn't have anything as blunt to say as those people, but <a href="http://parislemon.com/post/45783366346/the-technology-issue-i-think-apple-has-with-us-is">he was stunned by the news</a>.</p>
<p>Wired writer Steven Levy, who doesn't worship at the alter of Apple in the same way many others do, suggested people should chill out, and that <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenLevy/status/314217526005469184">Lynch was a "star"</a>.</p>
<p>He may be a star, but there is reason for concern over the Lynch hire. He was loud wrong about Flash, going against Apple and Steve Jobs.</p>
<p>Apple has recently flopped in some of its big executive hires from outside the company. Mark Papermaster was brought in from IBM and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-exec-mark-papermaster-leaves-probably-because-of-antennagate-2010-8">quickly shown the door</a>. John Browett was brought in from Dixon's to run the retail business and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-retail-boss-browett-out-2012-10">quickly shown the door</a>.</p>
<p>Lynch, with his past of being loud wrong, could be the next big Apple hire to be shown out quickly.</p>

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